This is amusing…
This is also amusing…
…jokes on them, I love Star Wars and this song. Ha ha. You can apparently get their whole alum here.
Category Archives: Other Blogs
Book Review | Allergic Girl: Adventures In Living Well With Food Allergies
So, I had ordered the Allergic Girl book a while ago, and did finally finish reading it, but a lot has been going on in life lately so I didn’t have any time to sit down & give it the thoughtful review that I felt it deserved. Now, I have the time to do that.
Allergic Girl: Adventures In Living Well With Food Allergies
The author Sloane Miller has a popular blog, and is so very easily contacted via Twitter… which as I’ve remarked before, is easily now my go-to resource for any food allergy related news or information. Twitter is how I discovered Sloane, her food allergy advocacy empire, and this wonderful book. I’ll warn you now, this may read more like an advertisement than a review… but this is the first book of its kind that I’ve ever picked up… if there are even any more like this out there, and it really spoke to me.
The first thing that hit me about the book is that it’s an excellent balance of “hey, you’re not alone” and “we’ll work through this”. It’s a comfort & a guide all at once. Of course, the writing style pulled me in right away. In the prologue, you’re dropped into a situation that could easily be a sitcom plot (or your weekend), but the seriousness is not lost in the humor… it’s underscored by it.
The book then moves into accounts of discovering and dealing with food allergies, one passage in particular that I’m going to highlight before I give it to friends & family to read… it describes the anxiety that builds after just an inkling in your mind that a certain food is unsafe (or could be unsafe) for whatever reason. I felt like Sloane had read my mind & put down my thoughts. From the order of thoughts jumping to other thoughts, to the hidden (or hopefully hidden) panic, down to the actions in dealing with such a situation… it’s uncanny. It’s a hard thing to convey to people, even if they are supportive & understanding.
The book covers dating, which can be harrowing… but luckily I have my incredibly supportive wife, and I don’t have to worry about that any more. This is a great guide to anyone in a dating situation, or for younger people with food allergies about to get into dating… or any social situation.
Allergic Girl is thankfully chock-full of resources for everything from websites to support groups to products to help you deal with your food allergies. There are also bullet-points at the end of each chapter, not unlike a textbook… they can work as a personal checklist for you.
This book will help you get organized… build support, learn to pick your food allergy battles, and maybe even to expand your comfort zones. This is what I personally need to work on. Dining out can be a paralyzing fear for me, and I need to learn to find people and restaurants that will work with me to feed me & keep me safe. Whether it’s starting the dialog the right way, using chef cards, or making calls ahead… they are all viable options of acquiring a safe meal.
If you have food allergies, have a friend, relative, or other loved-one with food allergies and want to understand their situation a little more… you need this book. No joke.
World’s First Ernie and the Berts Tattoo (via Ernie and the Berts)
How Much Does a $21 Ticket Cost? (via That which does not kill you makes a great story)
Tickets still available for Thu. March 17th w/ the Blasters! (via Ernie and the Berts)
AllergyEats | Defining allergy-friendly restaurant survey results
So, a while ago I posted asking for you to help out Paul from Allergy Eats with defining “allergy-friendly” as it pertains to a restaurant. I also took the time to post my own thoughts before I sent them on to be tabulated.
Well, now Paul has posted his summary & survey results to the still mysterious government body. I enjoyed reading the results, so I thought I’d share:
AllergyEats Blog
The AllergyEats Blog | How do we define an allergy-friendly restaurant? A look at the survey results
It’s great to see the results, and I can’t wait to see where & how they’re put to use. It’s also great that all of our comments were passed along with the report, so rest assured that your voice has been heard thanks to Paul. Hopefully it lays groundwork for more gub’ment organizations to follow by example! (Although, we need to push from a consumer level too.)
My take on the results… it looks like we’re all looking for everyone in the restaurant from kitchen to wait staff to managers to be trained in food allergies and cross-contamination and possibly even certified… which seems like a no-brainer. Even if that’s all we get, it’s a great start.
Employee answering phone needs to be knowledgeable: 1
Apparently, I’m the only one who wants the person answering the phone to know what they’re talking about. Ha ha. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to define shellfish on the phone, or ask if they have any only to get there after being told no… and they totally do. Perhaps it’s shame on me for not asking to talk to a manager… but the person answering the phone ought to be knowledgeable enough to hand-off such questions, so I stand by my statement.
Cross contamination: (42 responses)
Understands and avoids cross-contamination: 21
Separate and cleaned prep areas and cookware: 20
Should wash hands: 1
Who said they should wash their hands? Seriously? I hope they’re doing that anyway… and that they don’t really need those signs in the restroom as a reminder.
Treats ALL allergies the same, not just the Big 8: 1
Apparently I’m the lone theorist there. Really? Well, I’m in the Top 8 category, so I guess… yo hell with the rest of you! Ha ha.
No nuts strewn about the restaurant: 1
This one agitates me. If it’s part of the restaurant’s shtick/ambiance/personality… then just give it up. I like being able to walk into Five Guys and grab a tray of peanuts. I don’t expect (or want) to dine at Long John Silvers or Red Lobster any time soon.
Specific allergen menus available in-house (not just online): 13
Allergen symbol list on menus: 12
Online food allergy menu: 4
All excellent points. I’ve blogged about the need for menu symbols before. Let’s get this done, people!
Ability to print out all ingredients for customer / show labels to customer if necessary: 11
Great idea. A representative from Bob Evans once emailed me a chart detailing where everything was cooked in the kitchen & what surfaces would be safe with my shellfish allergy while they has a seasonal Shrimp stir-fry dish. How cool is that?
At any rate, read the Blog at AllergyEats, and leave some feedback whether you participated in the original survey or not… it’s still valuable. I’d also appreciate any comments here. I’m sure the peanut thing will get some people riled up. Ha ha.
Even a 3-year-old can do it…
This article is just awesome:
http://kingstonthisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1136778
It’s about Alex Pople the three year old who used an EpiPen to save his infant brother’s life. Holy cow, this is good stuff. I’m amazed that a three year old could successfully use an EpiPen, and did it when it was called for!
The tear-jerker?
He also tells his brother, “I love you and I saved your life because we are best friends.”
Crazy! This proves that a child is never too young to start learning about food allergies for themselves or for anyone in the family or even any friends.
The #FoodAllergyMomArmy
So, if you follow me on twitter, you may have seen me use an odd hashtag; #FoodAllergyMomArmy
“What’s a Food Allergy Mom Army“, you ask? It’s what happens when you ask your twitter friends about air travel and Epi Pens. I was served with an onslaught of what would later become known as nagtweets, demanding that I get a 2nd Epi Pen, and that I carry it on the plane, not in my luggage. Most all of my replies were from moms of kids with food allergies, some with food allergies themselves. Even though I bet we’re around the same age, I had an instant army of adopted moms looking out for my well-being.
I’ve received advice & support on food allergies from other sources on the web, but they’ve increased exponentially since I’ve joined Twitter. Now, I use twitter to keep in contact with other friends, and to follow fun stuff like music, Star Wars, Fringe, & local Pittsburgh stuff… but it’s definitely my go-to resource for Food Allergy support. That’s support on many levels… whether it’s information, advice, or sympathy.
So, if you’re on Twitter, and you have food allergies, check out my allergies list, and the #FoodallergyMomArmy will eventually make themselves known. (Maybe the’ll even comment here.)
Get a proclamation from your state governor that says “diarrhea”!
FAAW
So, Food Allergy Awareness Week 2011 is still a little far off, but at the same time it’s quickly approaching.
Personally, I’m all about pushing it from a consumer-level rather than having some government mandates handed down to reluctant (and perhaps allergen-ignorant) business owners.
But, at the same time, I see the monumental importance of government recognition. It spreads awareness and gives hope to those of us trying to express the validity and seriousness of food allergies and anaphylaxis.
So, I urge you to do your part, and write to the governor of your state asking for them to declare recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Week. From the FAAN website:
Food Allergy Awareness Week: May 8-14, 2011
Ask your Governor to Issue a Food Allergy Awareness Week Proclamation
Issuing a Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) proclamation is a great way to help raise awareness in your State!
Ask your Governor to declare May 8-14, 2011 Food Allergy Awareness Week!
In 2010, FAAW was recognized in a RECORD 37 STATES! Let’s break this record in 2011!
As of Feb 8, 2011, only one proclamation has been issued (Minnesota). Only 49 more states to go!
So, what are you waiting for? It only takes a few minutes, and you may even get a nifty official-looking document from your governor with a state seal that has the word “diarrhea” on it. I mean, how funny is that?
The Satanic Bat – Satanic Brats EP
There’s lots of free music out there on the internet. I decided to start pointing to some of it.
Sadly, bands disband. For whatever reason, a lot of ridiculously awesome bands just peter out or implode or flat-out fall apart. One such band is old time local rockers, The Satanic Bat. I guess they’d be classified as stoner metal in the most generic sense of trying to pin them down.
My old band (Gasoline Dion) shared a practice space and a band member with these dudes. (Regular readers will know I mention Dave all the time. If you have a band, check to see… Dave’s probably in it.) They even helped us record our album, but probably wouldn’t want their name attached to it. (Maybe I’ll put that up for free in a later installment.)
These cats could (and individually still can) rock, and they had a sense of humor. They were asked to play a Ramones tribute show… and they recorded an EP. The resulting songs sound like Black Sabbath covering the Ramones. Seriously. Since I’m a big fan of both, this is one of my absolute favorites.
Mead Rock 2000 | Satanic Brat EP
Satanic Bat - Satanic Brats EP
Click the link or image above to go through to the old Bat blog post for details and the link to download.
TRACKLIST:
- Loudmouth
- Commando
- Beat on the Brat
- R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (Motörhead)
For a weird anecdote… the show was played at Rugger’s with the Atomic Drops, of which Erin “Ernie” Payne was a member. Now, Dave & Erin are my current partners in crime with Ernie and the Berts.
Other live Satanic Bat stuff is available in their old blog, I urge you to check it out if you dig this EP. You can also buy their CD: Tales From the Southland, Tales From the Sea.
Steve & Josh went on to form Rogue Vessel. Dave is in Dethlehem and Ernie and the Berts. Jon ended up quitting music for a while, but I hear he’s back? Anyone have any info on that band?
At any rate, enjoy the EP… I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
World (and Lunar) Domination 